


Babysitting is Hard to Do.

by FeBee



Series: Challenge Responses [2]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Are they crazy?, Baby Harry Potter, Baby Harry is a little shit, Challenge Response, Fluff, Gen, Lily and James on a date (not that we see), Not Beta Read, Not In Chronological Order, SO MUCH FLUFF, Series of One Shots, Sirius is doing his best, Who left Sirius with the Baby?, and he knows how to work his Padfoot, sorry about that
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-02
Updated: 2019-10-24
Packaged: 2020-11-15 05:00:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,437
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20860640
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FeBee/pseuds/FeBee
Summary: Response to Trick or Treat Challenge on fanfic.Potter- 3- word- Relief.The Potters have gone out on a date leaving Sirius in charge of baby Harry.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Edited 11/10

He paced the floor, waiting for them to come home. They had promised they wouldn’t be late! This was only the second time Sirius had been given the task of babysitting. Usually they asked, the much more sensible, Remus but Dumbledore had sent him off to Merlin only knew where. It was supposed to be their last evening out before they retreated into hiding and it was their anniversary. There was no way he could possibly have turned them down when they had asked, even if he had been inclined to. Which he was not, he absolutely was not afraid of looking after the pup! 

Bang.

A piece of paper shot out of the floo and landed on the living room rug. 

Siri,  
Attack at North Hampton. Order called in. The Big V is in attendance so it’s all hands-on deck. You stay with Prongslet. Be home fastest.  
L and J

He really hoped that the noise hadn’t woken up his pup. Was that a sniffle? Argh, he would just have to creep up the stairs and peep in.

Creak.

Bugger! You would think that he would remember that the second top stair creaked!.

“Ma!”

“Well that’s torn it!” Sirius grumbled as he pushed open the door. The small boy had sat in the middle of his cot, cheeks red and eyes streaming.

“Muma!” he called out hopefully as the door opened.

“Sorry Pup just me,” Sirius whispered softly, peering over the side of the cot.

“Dada!” Harry tried again.

“Nope wrong again Pup, just Padfoot.”

“Pa’foo.” Little fists rubbed tired eyes, before arms raised.

“You know it’s bed time, you’re not supposed to be up,” Sirius explained.

“apposed be up?” Harry asked, reaching out for Sirius again.

“No. Bed now Prongslet,” Sirius said.

“No bed. Up now!” Harry insisted urgently. “Pa’foo up ta!”

“That’s lovely manners Pup but it’s time for bed,” Sirius reasoned with the 14month old.

“No! Up,” the little boy demanded while bouncing on his knees.

“No bed. Just you wait till your Mum and Dad get home,” Sirius stated, trying to be firm.

“Muma?” Harry pulled himself up using the bars of his cot, so he could see around the room.

“Argh,” groaned Sirius. “I should not have said that. They’re not home yet, Pup.” 

“Home yet Pup,” Harry repeated.

“Oh no. We’re not playing that game mister,” Sirius tried to sound stern but couldn’t help the smile that snuck onto his lips.

“Play game?” Harry repeated hopefully, staring up at his Godfather with his big green eyes.

“No Pup. It’s time for bed,” Sirius tried again. Harry ignored Sirius’ words in favour of reaching out to be picked up again.

“Come on Pup just lie down for me.” Right what was it Lily had said? Maybe his presence was to stimulating? Maybe him being in the room was actually keeping Harry awake? Didn’t she always tell Sirius to leave the room when she was putting Harry down for his nap? Right, Sirius decided, he just needed to leave Harry in the quiet, dark room for a while and he would settle down.

“Noooooooo, Pa’foo! Nooooooo,” Harry began to wail as Sirius backed up towards the door. Slipping through it, Sirius closed the door and stood with his forehead resting against the wood listening to the little boy cry.

“Come back soon Jamie, please don’t get hurt out there! Lily I don’t know how to do this!” He didn’t last five minutes before opening the door again wit a sigh. There was a hitch in the little cry. “Come on Prongslet, don’t do this,” he pleaded.

“Pa’foo, up,” Harry sniffled.

“Ah come here little man,” Sirius gave in to that sad face with the reddened, snot-covered cheeks. A quick wave of his wand cleaned up the little boy’s face. Then he tucked his wand into his back pocket and reached down. Harry practically threw himself into his Godfather’s arms.

“Pa’foo.” Harry buried his face into the side of Sirius’ neck holding on tight. “No Muma, no Papa, all gone!” He sniffled again. 

Concerned that the child would start crying again, Sirius rubbed circles on the small back and tried to provide reassurance.

“Hey, they’ll be back. It won’t be long. And then your Mama will get all cranky at me for letting you stay up late, and your Dada will laugh and do that bubble trick that he does. Which, by the way, I really need to get him to show me.”

“Bubbles?” Harry enquired sleepily, lifting his head briefly to look into Sirius’ eyes. Lowering his head back onto his Godfather’s shoulder he closed his eyes.

“Yep bubbles.” It only took a few minutes of gentle rocking for the small boy to settle and appear to be asleep. Sirius moved over to the cot, keeping each step small and smooth. Ever so carefully he lowered the boy into the cot. Just as he was withdrawing his hands from underneath the child Harry’s eyes popped open. He began to scream. Face red, mouth wide, heart rending screams.

“Oh Pup! Please no,” Sirius whined as he lifted the boy and cuddled him to his chest again.

“What’s that song Lily sings?” Sirius muttered, as he patted Harry’s back.

“Tinkle, tinkle?” Harry hiccupped as his crying ebbed.

“Tinkle? Do you need to go potty?”

The dark head shook from side to side. Harry released his grip on Sirius’ robe and clenched and unclenched his fist, “Tinkle, tinkle!”

Sirius copied the movement. “Oh! Do you mean twinkle?” Harry gave a little nod, before latching on again, little fists twisting in the material.

“Twinkle, twinkle, little star,” Sirius sang softly. Looking around the room he spied the rocking chair. 

“How I wonder what you are.” He made his way over to it and sat down.

“Up above the world so high.” Harry lifted his head making a small disgruntled noise in protest as Sirius stopped moving. Back and forth. Sirius started a smooth, slow rock in time with the song and Harry began to settle. Back and forth.

“Like a diamond in the sky. Twinkle, twinkle little star, how I wonder what you are.” After a second rendition the boy in his arms seemed to be deeply asleep, his little huffing breathes steady. Ah the feeling of success!

“Right kiddo, back to bed with you.” Sirius stood and made his way back to the cot. However, the moment that he began to lower the boy, the chubby arms flailed then reached up to again cling to the robe and the little green eyes popped open looking at him betrayed.

“Son of a ….” Sirius stopped himself, took a deep breath and began again.

“Twinkle, twinkle…..” This time the little bugger wasn’t giving in so easily. 

It was much later well after midnight, when pops of apparition, woke Sirius. Heart rate escalating he grabbed his wand from the side table, prepared to defend the little boy in his arms. Hoping that it was Lily and James.

“Sirius,” whispered James from behind Lily as she pushed open the nursery door.

Relief!


	2. Harry Makes a Mess

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lily and James have left Harry with Sirius again. You would think that they would learn. Or that Sirius would.
> 
> Trick or Treat Challenge-

Sirius was sitting in the lounge room, curled up beside the small boy. His furry body wrapping around the chubby baby, trying to keep him warm. Small hands fisted into his fur and….Ouch! Pulling!

He wasn’t quite sure how he had ended up here.After the last night he looked after Harry, just before the Potters went into hiding, he had vowed never to do it again. A nights spent worry, no… not sleeping thank you very much James, in that rocking chair had done something to his back and he was sure it would never be the same again.

Still here he was, he had been presented with a handwritten note, which was odd because Peter could just have told him the address, after all Sirius knew who the actual secret keeper was, and told that he was on baby sitting duties for the morning because Lily was needed for Order business and James wouldn’t let her go alone.

He hadn’t argued, there was enough of that going on as it was. What with Remus always away, Peter always at work and Lily and James hidden. Too many points of contention, too much death and destruction, everyone always on edge. Clearly there was a spy in the order and it was easy to throw blame on the people who weren’t there. Still Sirius couldn’t see the point Dumbledore had in sending Lily on a mission now. For crying out loud she had a child to look after!

Said child snuffled a bit and rubbed his snotty face against Padfoot’s fur. Ewwww! Sirius wondered if he should turn back, then decided against it. The last time he had done that Harry had cried for half an hour and that had led him to the predicament he was currently in with the sleepy child snotting on him and pulling out his fur.

He supposed the tantrum Harry had just had was his own fault when he looked at it. Well actually if he had to blame anyone it would be Lily and James for skipping out on their son. Still he probably shouldn’t have given Harry coco pops for breakfast, or the liquorice wands, certainly in hindsight the Bert Bott’s Every Flavoured Brand had been a mistake. However he couldn’t deny that the Fizzing Whizbees had been a grand idea. Harry had certainly enjoyed floating around the living room. It was when he came down that the problems started.

Sirius groaned and glanced around the room as he remembered. He had arrived that morning and as was usual, Lily and James weren’t ready, sure they had eaten, but for some reason Harry had slept in and they were only just pulling him out of his cot. They had handed him over with a quick, “don’t forget to give him breakfast and lunch,” and then they were out the door, and disapparating from the driveway with a pop. Harry had started to cry immediately.

“Mama, mama, mummy!” Tears brimmed in his eyes.

Right Sirius wasn’t going to let this go on like the other night, what he needed was a distraction. Food! Yep that always worked for Pete and actually Sirius himself when he thought about it. Huh! He remembered all the times, Remus had shoved food in front of him when he had been asking questions about which girl Mooney was seeing! Right well, now he had him sussed that wouldn’t be happening again! So…..breakfast.

He balanced Harry on one arm as he inspected the kitchen. Breakfast type foods? What did Lilly normally make? Oh yeah! Toast. He went and opened the bread box. Right two hands required for cutting the bread he would have to put the Prongslet down. So he bent and placed the boy at his feet.

“Just stay there Prongslet while I get you some toast,” he told the little boy.

“Up Unca Si’us.” Harry reached up towards the man and clasped and unclasped his hands.

“In a minute Harry, I just have to cut this. Now where’s the bread knife? Right, top drawer.”

Harry however wasn’t willing to wait and had pulled himself up on the cupboard, as Sirius took a step towards the drawers Harry latched both arms around the man’s leg, holding on for all he was worth. Sirius stopped at the unexpected weight on his leg.

“Come on you little limpet,” he hobbled over to the other side of the kitchen with his little cling-on. “You’re not making this easy for me Harry,” he told the boy sternly.

“Not easy?” Harry asked.

Sirius shook his head, “Not easy at all.”

Sirius successfully liberated the knife from the drawer and holding it carefully, limped back to the bench. Lily would kill him if he cut the bread directly on her bench tops! Where was the bread board? Damn, it wasn’t on the sink drying, which was where it usually was. Sod it all, he was just going to summon it.

“Accio breadboard,” there was a rattling in one of the cupboards, before every single plastic container tumbled onto the floor and the bread board flew into his hand.“Aww shite!” Sirius swore.

“Aww shi….” a little voice echoed, Sirius dropped the bread board and quickly covered Harry’s mouth ending the sound.

“No no no no no Prongslet. You don’t say that, it’s a……..” Sirius searched for a suitable explanation. Why did this always happen to him? Why couldn’t it happen to Mooney! “right it’s a not very good word, and we don’t say it in front of Mummy. Okay? What don’t we say in front of Mummy?”

“Aw Shite,” Harry dutifully responded.

“Don’t say it again Prongslet. Lily is going to kill me!”

“Kill me, kill me,” chirped the black-haired Marauders son.

“Right breakfast!” Sirius quickly cut a slice of bread and buttered it, before putting Harry in his high-chair at the table and plonking the plate in front of him.

Harry carefully inspected the offerings before turning a betrayed look on Sirius.

“Not tost Pa’foo!” he pushed the plate away flippingthe bread on to the floor buttered side down.

“Harry, that’s naughty,” Sirius scolded trying to sound stern. Harry promptly burst into tears.

“Hungy Pa’foo! Hungy.”

“Right stay there, I’ll see what else there is.”

Sirius decided when he realised he didn’t know how to use Lily’s muggle toast maker thing. Eventually after much rummaging around , and grizzling from the high chair, he found a packet of cereal hidden up the back. Ok, cereal he could manage. Coco Pops- check, Bowl- check, Milk-check, spoon-check. Mission accomplished, cereal presented.

Harry certainly loved the chocolatey, sugary treat and it wasn’t long before he was bouncing up and down in his seat.

“Hey, woah! Careful now, baby boy! You going to …….”

Harry’s hand came down on the edge of the bowl, spilling chocolate milk and rice crispies everywhere.

“Harry!”

Harry kept bouncing and now began playing in the chocolatey mess on his tray table.

“Right mister, let’s get you washed up!”

Harry screamed as Sirius lifted him from the chair, and started slapping his hands about at anything he could reach, which primarily included Sirius’ nose, face and chest.

“Aww! Harry!” Sirius complained. “That hurts.”

He placed the child on the floor, where Harry proceeded to make interesting patterns on the cream coloured carpet with his dirty hands.

“Stop that Prongslet!” Sirius snapped, when he came back with a wash cloth to clean up the boy. Harry froze and turned wide green eyes on Sirius and burst into tears again.

“Argh! Right, breathe Sirius breathe,” the man coached himself.“He’s only a baby, he doesn’t know any better. In…out…in…out. Right, come here Harry.” He bent and picked up the boy.“Sorry little man, Padfoot didn’t mean to be grumpy.”

“Grumpy Pa’foo,” Harry repeated trying to stick his fingers up Sirius’ nose.

“Yes!” Sirius agreed. “And please stop doing that!” He grasped the hand closest to his face.

“O’tay,” Harry snuggled into the big warm chest.

“Right,” Sirius searched around. He needed something for Harry to do while he cleaned up the kitchen. Digging around in his pockets he found a liquorice wand.“Here Harry you ply with this while I clean up ok?”

“O’tay,” Harry agreed immediately sticking the wand in his mouth.

Sirius placed him back on the floor and moved to the kitchen to clean up the mess. He had been out of the room less then two minutes when there was a screech.

“Mrow!”

And a crash. That had him hurrying back. Harry was leaning up against the side table with the liquorice wand handing out of his mouth and a hand full of white fur stuck to sticky fingers. Little black sticky hand prints ran around most of the room about two feet off the floor.

“Dear Merlin! I was only out of the room for…….. Right mister you’re staying with me from now on!”

Sirius never did make it back to the cleaning. Later when he tried to put Harry down so that he could go to the loo. The boy had started crying until Sirius had turned into Padfoot, which was exactly where they still were. Sirius closed his eyes. Hopefully the little one would nap for just a bit longer, then he would get up and put the house to rights.

Sirius was still napping half an hour later when two pops could be heard from the front garden, and a key turned in the lock. He opened his eyes to see the very angry face of a redhead glaring at him, and he cringed as she began, “What on earth has happened here Sirius. Do you even bother to think at all….”

But she was interrupted before she could really get going by a tiny voice piping up, “Aww Shite!”


	3. The Morning After the Night Before

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sirius had a little too much to drink last night. How does he cope in the morning.

He was lying face down. A quick perimeter check reveal all his limbs were still present, and he had no major injuries apart from the splitting headache and the nausea. He lifted his head, the world whirled around him in its technicolour glory. Well that wasn’t good!

Maybe he would just lie here a little longer. It he waited just a bit he was sure everything would come back to him.

There was something pressing into the side of his face. It was leafy, he opened half a bleary eye, it was also green. Hmmm. Last night, last night, there was something about last night????

Oh that’s right he had to see prongs last night! About…….? Nope, he’d have to wait a bit longer, hopefully whatever dead thing he could taste in his mouth would go away in a few minutes.

What was that light? Did it have to be so bright? Honestly! He was just lying here, wherever here was, minding his own business. Possibly dying, if his racing heart had any say in it. And someone had to turn on the light. Whoever it was, was a right git!

Oh there was news that’s right Wormy had a job! He was all excited, Moons was away doing something for Dumbledore but Prongs had wanted to show his support so every one ‘in the know’ had gone to Godrics Hollow. He wondered what had happened then.

“Paddy,” a voice spoke, yelled in his opinion, surely they could have asked more quietly.

“Argh,” he groaned.

“Oh, Sirius,” came another, thankfully quieter, voice.

“Let’s get you up and inside.” 

Hands grasped him under his arms and helped him up right. His head spun again, that was not good! He opened his eyes, on one side of him was a mane of red hair and on the other was a messy black head. Oh that’s right he’d been drinking at Prongs’ place to celebrate Pete’s new job! It had been two months since he’d last seen them so amongst all the catching up they hadn’t even noticed that they had finished several bottles of wine and the bottle of firewhisky that Sirius had bought with him. At some point during the night he remembered feeling warm and had gone outside to enjoy the evening breeze. It was so lovely that he had decided that lying down on the lawn to stare at the stars was a fantastic idea. Obviously he had never made it back inside. He wondered if Wormy was still inside.

Lily hadn’t stopped scolding him for being so reckless, apparently he could have been hurt or…..something, she was speaking far to fast for him to make out what she had said.

Suddenly like a knife being stabbed through his brain a piercing cry rent the air. Sirius opened his eyes. Ah, he had some how managed to get to the couch. This was ok, certainly better then the mouthful of grass he had been shewing earlier.

“Ooooooh,” There was that stabbing again.

Lily snorted as she looked at the face he was pulling.

“Surely there is some sort of hangover potion you can make for me Lils’,” he begged.

“Even if there was why would I do that?” she asked. Why was she being so mean.

“Because you love me,” he turned his big silver hangdog eyes on her. She just snorted again.

“Oi, get your own wife.” Prongs hit his shoulder.

“Ow! You’re horrible.”

A glass of water appeared in front of his face, “Drink that it should help, and I’ll make bacon and eggs for you but you’ll have to look after Harry while I make it.”

Sirius nodded eagerly and instantly regretted it.

“Lookin’ a bit green there Paddy,” James commented.

“How come you’re looking so good?” Sirius whined.

“Ah well, I married the potions protege didn’t,” before Sirius could complain James continued. “And she made me drink a glass of water between every drink last night, and another before going to bed.”

Sirius groaned and leaned his head against the coach and closed his eyes. A minute later a wiggling weight was placed on his lap. He grunted.

“Pa,” a little voice asked. Sirius ignored it, surely it would go away in a minute.

“Da!”

“Yes Harry,” James responded to the little boy.

“Pa!” Harry squealed and pointed at Sirius.

“Yes Padfoot is here.”

Harry babbled happily for a couple of minutes until he realised that the man who owned the lap he was sitting on was not responding to him in any way.

“Pa!” the little cry was getting insistent now. “Pa, Paa, Paaaaaa!!” Harry bounced in his lap finally resorting to pulling himself onto his knees and commencing to scale his host. Sirius grunted, this was not the interaction the boy had been wanting.

“Paaaa! Paaaaa!!” he slapped the chest he was leaning against.

“Harry, no hitting!” his father scolded making the boy stop for a minute and stare. In the end he decided that his father was more amused than upset with him so he resumed his task.

“Paaa!” Smack. “Paaaaa!” Smack.

Eventually Sirius opened his eyes, to look at the cross little face in front of him that began to babble in angry tones.

James laughed, “Well you’ve been told.” Sirius raised a hand ready to give a certain gesture when Lily stuck her head into the room.

“Don’t even try it Sirius!”

“Argh, fine!” the man child grumped.

“He just needs a distraction,” Lily stated as she ducked out again.

“Right little man,” Sirius told the boy on his lap. “On to the floor. Let’s find you something to do.”

Then he remembered, knowing that he wouldn’t be seeing his friends often he had brought an early birthday present for Harry. He still didn’t understand the look that Lily had given him when it had been opened. The look kind of said that he would get his comeuppance one day. Where did it going again? That’s right up in the cupboard in Harry’s room.

“Back in a second,” he said as he carefully stood. Hey no dizziness!

It took only a few minutes to return and in that time Harry had crawled over to the stairs and was in the process of using the bottom step to stand up.

“Come on little man,” Sirius bent over to take those tiny hands. Oh dear that wasn’t a good idea! His stomach surged and he had to straighten abruptly, releasing the little boy who wobbled for a moment and then took a few staggery steps to fall against Sirius’ legs.

“Prongs! Did you see!”

“Yes Sirius I saw,” James crowed.

“Was it his first?” Sirius asked the wonder eclipsing his headache.

“I think so, Lil’s?” James called. “Has Harry walked before?”

Lily raced into the room, “Has he what?”

“Walked he just walked to Sirius!”

“Oh,” her face dropped, “I didn’t get to see it.”

“Get over here,” Sirius called, and dropped onto his rump. He picked up Harry and turned him to face his mother. “Now Harry, who’s that?”

Harry giggled, “Muma!”

“Yep there’s Muma. Do you want to go to Muma?” Harry began bouncing on the spot. “Go on then.” Sirius attempted to extricated himself from the boy. However Harry was having none of it and turned around and grabbed Sirius tightly around the neck and squealed.

“Harry,” Sirius whined. “Where’s Muma?”

Harry raised an arm and pointed at Lily without lifting his head from where it was pressed into the side of Sirius’ neck.

“Yeah, and you want to go to Muma don’t you?” Harry nodded, “well then, you’re going to have to left go of Padfoot.” Harry lifted his head and looked at Lily before dropping his head again. “Go on, little one, it’s not that far,” Sirius coaxed.

“Come on Poppet,” Lily crooned, holding out her arms. Harry lifted his head again, this time obviously sizing up the distance.

“That’s it, you can do it Prongslet!” James encouraged, camera in hand.

“Go on, Pup,” Sirius turned Harry gently around, making sure he would be able to let go with no trouble.

“Come to Muma!”

Harry giggled and leaned forwards, Sirius gently let go and Harry staggered across to his mother.

b and as the excitement abated Sirius’ headache came back.

“Well,” said Lily finally. “I’d best get back to the breakfast.”

“Pa!.” squealed Harry yet again.

“Look what I got you while I was upstairs Pup.” Sirius reached behind him to grab the box he had retrieved.

“Sirius do you think that is wise?” James asked.

“Why wouldn’t it be?” Sirius shrugged.

“Well they are kind of known for being noisy,” James stated.

“How much noise can it make its muggle. There’s no sonorous charm or anything, I checked for that.”

Sirius pulled the drum out of the box and placed it in front of the boy. Instinct took over and the little boy lifted it and bought it down with a smack.

A smack that resounded and echoed and was the loudest damn thing Sirius had ever heard.

“How can such a little thing make so much noise!” Oh there was that headache again. “Right sorry about this little man, but it’s much too noisy! I’ll have to put it away until you are bigger.” Sirius pulled the drum away from Harry.

Harry screamed! “No Paaa!”

The agony in his head was too great Sirius dropped the drum. Harry grabbed it and began hitting it happily. Right!

“I’ll just make it a little quieter Pup,” Sirius coaxed before casting Silenceo on the instrument. For half a second Harry frozen and the he scrunched up his little round face, it went bright red then he screamed. Arms and legs flailing around. He threw himself onto the floor, wailing.

Sirius looked at him then turned horror filled eyes onto James.

“How is he sooooo noisy?!”

James just grinned.


	4. Pa'foo Sleeps Over

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lily and James have to go out for the night so Padfoot comes over to stay with Harry.

It had been a week since the last time he had seen them. A week since the secret keeper switch. More accurately it had been just under a week since he had last been asked to baby sit. At the time he had been fairly sure that he wouldn’t be asked again, at least for a while, but here he was.

Sirius pouted, fortunately there was no one about to see. Lily had been asked, by Dumbledore, to go to Hogwarts because they needed certain potions brewed and there was no one else available. They weren’t thee sort of potions you could just buy at the apothecary. James, of course, would not let her go alone. Sirius was beginning to wonder if that was really it, or if he was just looking for any reason to get out of the house. Not that he could be blamed for that, they had been locked up for 4 months already. Tomorrow night was Halloween and for some unknown reason even thinking about it gave Sirius the shivers.

Still as Lily had assured him, this gig would be much easier. Lily would put Harry to bed before they left and they would be back in the morning before he woke up. Unless he got up for some reason in the night, but he had been sleeping through most nights for a while now.

Sirius raised his hand and knocked on the door, feeling a little silly as he did so. They were under fidelius after all with only a limited number of people knowing the secret.

“Sirius,” Lily greeted him with a hug, Harry held in one arm.

“Lily flower and Harry pup, how are you,” Sirius chucked Harry under the chin on his way through the door.

“He’s all feed and we are just about to have a story before bed,” Lily said.

James came down the stairs, “The little bug……..”

Lily frowned at him disapprovingly.

“The little bug has been asking after you,” James finally finished his sentence. Sirius grinned at him. Lily so had James wrapped around her little finger.

“Is that so.” Sirius turned to look at the little boy, who was now sucking on his fingers and wiggling furiously in an attempt to get out of his Mother’s grasp.

“Here, you take him,” Lily sighed exasperatedly. “He won’t settle until you’ve said hello. Perhaps we should have told you to wait until he was asleep.”

Sirius held out his arms and Harry practical jumped across the intervening space, “It’s a bit late now.”

Harry looked up at Sirius and began talking rapidly, Sirius couldn’t make out all the words, but he was proud to notice that Pa’foo was definitely prevalent. F’ying, and zoom also made an appearance.

“So you went flying did you?” Sirius glanced at James quickly for confirmation before returning his attention to the boy he held.

“Yup! Pa’foo f’y?” Harry asked.

“Not tonight,” when Harry’s lips turned down Sirius walked over to the window and opened the curtains. “See it’s too dark out. You might get hurt.”

“No hurt Pa’foo,” Harry reassured and patted Sirius’ cheek.

“Good now it’s time for your story and bed.”

“Pa’foo stor-ee?” Harry looked to his Mother.

“I don’t know,” she mused, “Is Padfoot up to it? After all the trouble he got into last time.”

“Pa’foo No’ee.” The adults looked at each other trying to figure out what he had meant, before the penny dropped.

“Harry, did you mean naughty? Padfoot was naughty?” Lily asked.

“Yup. No’ee Pa’foo.” Harry tucked his head under Sirius’ chin and stuck his fingers in his mouth.

“You’re a tired teddy bear Pup, let’s go read a story.” Harry nodded not lifting his head from the warm chest.

“What are you reading?”

“Anything off the shelf,” Lily said.

“There’s some really weird muggle ones,” James added.

“They are not weird, just different from what you’re used to.”

“Like I said weird!”

“Just go and do the washing up James! Or we’ll never get away.”

Sirius climbed the stairs ignoring the bickering couple.

“One story and then straight into bed and I’ll send, Mummy and Daddy up to tuck you in, okay Pup?”

Harry nodded.

“Right,” Sirius pushed open the door, grabbed the first book he found off the shelf and sat in the rocking chair. Getting a slow rock going he began to read.

“Once upon a time in a cabin in a forest there lived three bears.”

“fur-ee bers,” Harry repeated.

“Hmm, th-r-ee, three bears,” Sirius enunciated.

“Fur-ee bers,” Harry tried again, with no audible difference.

“Close enough cub. Continuing on. There was a Mumma bear, a Papa bear and a little wee baby bear…………….”

Sirius continued the story until the little boy in his lap was fast asleep. He gentle picked the boy up, transferred him to his cot and headed back down the stairs.

“Success?” James raised his eyebrows as Sirius entered the room.

“Did you doubt me?”

“Well it wasn’t that long ago you spent the entire night in the rocking chair, because you couldn’t get him down.”

“I’m not fussed on that story Prongs,” Sirius stated.

“Why? Which one did you read?” James asked.

“Goldilocks,” Sirius stated.

“Little girl goes wandering in the woods. What’s so bad about that?”

“What is it teaching them?” Sirius asked before answering himself. “She broke into the bears home, broke their chair, ate their breakfast and messed up their beds, then jumped out a window. And I bet i the bears had complained no one would have listened. It’s just not right!”

“So you are concerned about the bears rights then?” Lily asked as she walked up behind them. “Are you ready?” She turned to James who nodded. “Now it should be easy, I’ve set up the spare room for you. I checked in on him and he is all settled and asleep. So he shouldn’t wake up until morning. Thanks for doing this Sirius. It’s kind of a relief to be able to get out of the house every now and then.”

“Any time Lily flower.”

Sirius walked them to the door and waved them off, before making his way back to the kitchen to make a cup of tea.

Three hours later Sirius was in bed asleep. He was sleeping so deeply he didn’t notice the thump from the next room, or the creak of the nursery door opening. He didn’t hear the little footsteps padding up the hall or hear the door to his room being opened. In fact the first thing he knew was there was a weight with bony knees bouncing on his chest calling out, “Pa’foo! Pa’foo!”

“Wha!” Sirius startled awake. “Argh!” A knee caught him just below the sternum. “Pup!” What are you doing?’

“No Mumma, No Dada! Pa’foo!” the boy cried.

“They’ve gone out Pup. I’m here to look after you.”

“Pa’foo ‘ere.” Thankfully the boy stilled.

“Yeah, Padfoot’s here.”

Harry rolled off Sirius’ chest onto the bed. “Pa’foo p’ay?”

“No pup not playtime, sleep time.”

“No! P’ay.”

“Come here,” Sirius reached out and snagged the boy pulling him down to lie at his side. How on earth was he going to get him back to sleep, there was no way he was going to sleep ion that wretched chair again. What was it muggles did? Counting sheep. That was it. Why the sheep though? Surely counting would be enough.

“Oh Harry, let’s play a game,”

“P’ay?” Harry started to sit up.

“Yes. You have to be lying down first.” Harry lay down. “Now you copy everything I say. Okay?”

“O’tay,” Harry nodded happily.

“One. Now it’s your go,” Sirius gently tickled the boys ribs.

With a little giggle Harry said, “W…w….w-u-n”

“That’s pretty good pup, try again. One.”

“W-un.”

“Good try now two.” Harry looked at Sirius doubtfully and received another tickle. “Go on try.”

“T-ooooo,”

“Good boy. Two. This one is harder. Three.”

“Fur-eeee!” sang the boy.

“Nearly. Th…r…ee. Three,” Sirius corrected.

“Furee, furee.”

“Try again, th…r…ee, three,” Sirius encouraged.

“Fu-ree, free,” Harry lisped.

“Better. Now next comes four.”

“F-or-a,” Harry tried, frowning.

“F-our, four.”

“For-a.”

“Close Pup very close. Now five.”

“Fffffffff-i-va.”

“That’s pretty good. Now this one is tricky. S-i-x, six.”

“xxxxxxxsssssss.” Sirius lifted his head and turned to look at the boy.

“Try again Harry, it’s tricky. S-i-x, six.”

“sssssssxxxxxxx,” Harry hissed.

There wasn’t much room for doubt, that was a hiss, but did it have any meaning. He made a note to let James know and to maybe, maybe test out whether or not the little boy could speak parseltongue or not.

“Right let’s try from the top. One.”

“Wun.”

“Two.”

“To-a.”

“Three.”

“Free,” Harry yawned. Huh, who would have guessed it was working.

“Four,”

“For-a.”

“Five.”

There was a little snuffle from beside him. Sirius was just congratulating himself on a job well done, when he went to rolled onto his side. Except there was a little body just there. What if he rolled onto Harry in his sleep and crushed him? Or the pillows moved and covered his face and suffocated him? The pillows got thrown on to the floor, and Sirius lay as straight as a board staring at the ceiling.

Sirius did manage to fall asleep. However he was woken again this time due to a babbling.

“Harry?” he looked at the boy. Harry’s eyes were closed.

“Baba dada me no for a xxxsss,” Harry said eyes still shut.

“Oh! Sleep talking. Right.” Sirius took a deep breath and tried to settle again, just as he was about to drift off, he realised something. Harry was now lying with his body crosswise on the bed! Ok! That was normal right?

Sirius took some deep relaxing breaths and tried to order his mind, he drifted off to sleep slowly.

An hour later, Sirius snuffled, then his nose itched. He rubbed it sleepy as he woke, only to find that there was something on his face. He careful changed the course of his hands movement and felt the object that was lying on his face covering his top lip. A short investigation later and he discovered it was Harry’s foot, he froze. If this was Harry’s foot, where was the rest of Harry, ok so he was now lying with one foot on Sirius’ face the other was that painful object that was inserted just under his ribs and his head was sticking out to the side, but fortunately on the mattress.

Sirius carefully repositioned the boy. Harry did not wake. He was breathing. Sirius checked! Sirius again settled himself and began to doze.

Half an hour later.

Smack.

“What the actual F…….” Sirius startled. There was no further movement from the boy, so Sirius gently guided the hand down to the boys side.

When Sirius woke for the last time that night it was to find Harry curled up on his lap. He wrapped an arm around the little body and tried to find that lovely calm place that led to sleep again. Just for a little bit.

The door to the room opened and Lily stuck her head in. Sirius just pretended to be asleep.

“James, come and look,” Lily whispered. James joined her at the door. Sirius resolutely kept his eyes shut. “Aren’t they cute.”

Sirius could feel that James was grinning, the cheeky b…….. “Let me just get the camera!”

What! Sirius had the urge to jump out of bed and chase James the way he used to in the common room, but the weight on his chest reminded him that there were other things to think about. Harry hadn’t had a full night’s sleep so it was best to let him sleep as long as possible. In the end Sirius just kept his eyes closed.


End file.
